New policy at Darien Lake gets passing grade at first concert without pedestrian access

Though it was a smaller, older crowd for the Def Leppard/Poison show at Darien Lake on Friday, the first test of cutting of pedestrian access to the concert venue went well, according to Deputy Chief Gordon Dibble.

There was only one open private parking lot on Sumner Road on Friday, Dibble said, and there was only one issue with people trying to walk onto Darien Lake property for the concert.

"I think it went very well," Dibble said.

With the private lots mostly empty, Dibble said, and without much pedestrian traffic on both Employee Road and Sumner Road, it was much easier to get traffic out of Darien Lake's lots after the concert, Dibble said.

"We got traffic out of there in record time," Dibble said.

He hopes the experience bodes well for the Jason Aldean concert Saturday, which is sold out and will have close to three times the number of cars in the parking lot.

The only private lot open Friday, Dibble said, was Cherry Hill Campground.

One family tried to access the venue on foot at the Employee Road entry on Sumner Road, Dibble said, and one of the people in the group allegedly became disruptive when authorities would not let the group walk to the concert venue.